Wilms' Tumor

Diagnosis

You may have found a lump in your child's abdomen, or your doctor may have discovered one during a routine visit. To diagnose Wilms' tumor, your doctor will likely first do a physical exam, get a family history, and order one or more of the imaging tests below. In tests that involve radiation, specialists carefully monitor doses to avoid the risk of radiation overexposure.

• Ultrasound
• Computerized tomography (CT) scan
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan

Doctors may also order urine and blood tests to rule out other cancers. If doctors find a Wilms' tumor, they will want to determine if the cancer has spread. They may perform additional blood tests, a liver ultrasound or MRI, a chest CT scan, or other tests. Doctors will also want to determine whether your child's other kidney is healthy.

Staging

If Wilms' tumor is diagnosed, doctors will determine its progress, or stage, to guide treatment decisions. Staging is based on whether and how far the cancer has spread. The majority of Wilms' tumors are found in the early stages.

Read more about ultrasound, CT scan, MRI and Wilms' tumor diagnosis at MayoClinic.com.